The Underrated Part Of The Habs Top Line

Yes, Slafkovsky’s job consists of being a physical force on the forecheck, which is something that Bolduc can do as well, but he can’t create the space that Slafkovsky does from winning board battles. Many goals that the line has managed to score at even strength this season have started with Slafkovsky’s dirty work in the corners. It seems like he has a serious gift for bringing his opponents into the corners with him for a board battle, which leads to more space for Caufield and Suzuki to move around the ice.  

While Slafkovsky brings the grit to the line, he also adds a lot of skill to the trio. In previous years, he was often seen as the 3rd player on his line, but things have changed as Slafkovsky has progressed tremendously to start the year, where he is now officially as important as his two more skilled linemates. 

It’s been a while since the Habs have been waiting for Slafkovsky to start becoming one of the best power forwards in the NHL. He has finally gotten there and now brings a complete 2-way game that not only makes the Habs’ top line better but the entire team as a whole. The best part of the new Slafkovsky is that he also uses his heavy wrist shot more often. As a result, he currently leads the Habs with 4 goals on the power play, including a goal in each of their last 3 games.

When the Canadiens drafted Slafkovsky 1st overall in 2022, they were hoping for a premier power forward that would complement both Suzuki and Caufield. He is finally living up to the Habs’ expectations that they had for him when he was picked. Many people may have expected that he’d be a bigger point producer, but the reality is that he was never expected to be the skilled guy who would regularly put up over a point per game.

Slafkovsky is more of a presence that will do the dirty work to help his linemates who play a skilled game, while putting up 30 goals and 65-70 points while throwing around 200+ hits a year during his prime. It may not all show on the stat sheet, but those little things that he does are what can help a team win a Stanley Cup someday.

Slafkovsky may only have 6 goals and 1 assist in 12 games so far this season, but the reality is that he has more assists by helping his teammates get the puck by simply forcing turnovers. These assists won’t show up on a score sheet, but they will get recognized when analyzing videos. 

Eventually, the assists will show up as Slafkovsky can be a good playmaker, but it’s very evident that he helps the team more by knocking opponents off the puck, allowing his teammates to swoop in and take the puck.

Has Slafkovsky’s play impressed you so far this year?